Tokyo is a year-round city for this kind of trip, so there is no season to plan around, though it is worth knowing that late March into April brings cherry blossom (and crowds) and that September can see the odd typhoon. From Haneda the Keikyu line or monorail reach central Tokyo in around 30 minutes; from Narita the Narita Express or the cheaper Keisei Skyliner take roughly an hour. Base yourself somewhere on the Yamanote loop so the record neighbourhoods are all a short hop away. Book flights →

Both Shibuya and Shinjuku sit on the Yamanote line and put you within minutes of almost every stop on this itinerary, from Shimokitazawa to Koenji. Shibuya is the more atmospheric base for a record trip, since the shops, the listening bars and the crossing are all on your doorstep. Search hotels →

Before you start digging, a short guided walk is the easiest way to get your bearings around Shibuya Crossing and the warren of backstreets behind it, where the record shops hide on upper floors and in basements. A good local guide will also point you at the coffee stops and izakaya you would otherwise walk straight past. One thing to know for the whole week: many Tokyo record shops open late, often around 11:00 or noon, and some close one weekday, so check individual hours before a special trip. Search walking tour in Shibuya on GetYourGuide →

Shibuya's Udagawa-cho district, just north-west of the crossing, is the historic heart of Tokyo record shopping, with dozens of shops stacked into a few blocks. Start at HMV Record Shop Shibuya, which stocks up to 80,000 titles across two floors, the bulk of them secondhand vinyl, then walk to Face Records nearby for a tightly curated selection of soul, jazz and Japanese pressings. Most shops here shut around 20:00, so this is prime early-evening digging.

Eat somewhere simple in the Shibuya backstreets, then climb to JBS (Jazz, Blues and Soul), a tiny second-floor listening bar on Dogenzaka where the owner, Kobayashi-san, plays from a wall of more than 10,000 alphabetised records. It seats barely twenty, opens evenings only (roughly 19:00 to 23:00) and asks that you come to listen rather than talk over the music; expect a small cover or a one-drink minimum.